It was 'Deja vu all over again'
In the run up to the 2009 elections an NDTV crew lounging at a pub in Bengaluru in the afternoon hours found itself fortuitously in the middle of a ratings bonanza.
It was their favorite villain the Hindutva warrior beating up some youngsters over drinking and enjoying themselves.
As was to be expected the story was run on a loop, 24 x7 till the accepted version was etched into the minds of the viewers "Hindutva = regressive, draconian social order.
As always, BJP and in particular their PM Candidate LKA were late to react to the ruckus. A befuddled BJP stumbled over themselves, not sure if the main accused 'Muthalik' was one of them.
Was Muthalik a part of the larger Sangh parivar? Would criticizing Muthalik put them in RSS' bad books?
As the paralysis dragged on, supporters of BJP such as yours truly watched in rage as it became increasingly evident that the entire episode had been stage managed to malign the BJP and the broader Sangh parivar.
It was designed to alienate the youth and women's vote. And to a certain extent it work.
A second objective was to prevent a deep and wide discussion on the performance of UPA 1. Both objectives were achieved as the airwaves were saturated with cries of 'Ram Sene' and 'Muthalik'.
As every attack on PM Modi has backfired the Pseudo Secular Industrial complex has resorted to this tried and tested strategy - first at Dadri and now with Rohith.
Once again the truth has been obfuscated and an attempt has been made to paint BJP as a regressive anti-social party.
As with any political strategy it has entered a phase of diminishing returns. But it would be dangerous to think that these contrived controversies wont have a lasting effect on the BJP.
Much as muslims were alienated prior to the Bihar elections using Dadri, Rohith could be used in other locations - Bihar and UP.
One key difference is that media has lost all credibility. A pre-Radia NDTV was able to hurt BJP in 2009. That is unlikely to happen now.
But we must be on the guard to ensure that whenever such a story is peddled by the media, the counter attack on social media must be swift and overpowering.
Most importantly BJP must create a standard response template of its own when events such as Malda or Pune burning of a Hindu teen happen and media chooses to ignore them.
From Tuktuki in Bengal to Rathod in Pune, BJP and the Sangh has been woefully weak and lethargic in its response. It was their social media supporters who forced them into sending a delegation to take up this issue.
Most importantly the response came weeks after the event when the fires had died down. Instead BJP needs to develop an rapid response team which can attack the media on these issues so that the plight of Hindus is highlighted and puts pseudo seculars on the backfoot.
This one strategy will help even the political battleground.
It is a necessary condition to defeat Congress-AAP's evil designs - but will it be sufficient.
In the run up to the 2009 elections an NDTV crew lounging at a pub in Bengaluru in the afternoon hours found itself fortuitously in the middle of a ratings bonanza.
It was their favorite villain the Hindutva warrior beating up some youngsters over drinking and enjoying themselves.
As was to be expected the story was run on a loop, 24 x7 till the accepted version was etched into the minds of the viewers "Hindutva = regressive, draconian social order.
As always, BJP and in particular their PM Candidate LKA were late to react to the ruckus. A befuddled BJP stumbled over themselves, not sure if the main accused 'Muthalik' was one of them.
Was Muthalik a part of the larger Sangh parivar? Would criticizing Muthalik put them in RSS' bad books?
As the paralysis dragged on, supporters of BJP such as yours truly watched in rage as it became increasingly evident that the entire episode had been stage managed to malign the BJP and the broader Sangh parivar.
It was designed to alienate the youth and women's vote. And to a certain extent it work.
A second objective was to prevent a deep and wide discussion on the performance of UPA 1. Both objectives were achieved as the airwaves were saturated with cries of 'Ram Sene' and 'Muthalik'.
As every attack on PM Modi has backfired the Pseudo Secular Industrial complex has resorted to this tried and tested strategy - first at Dadri and now with Rohith.
Once again the truth has been obfuscated and an attempt has been made to paint BJP as a regressive anti-social party.
As with any political strategy it has entered a phase of diminishing returns. But it would be dangerous to think that these contrived controversies wont have a lasting effect on the BJP.
Much as muslims were alienated prior to the Bihar elections using Dadri, Rohith could be used in other locations - Bihar and UP.
One key difference is that media has lost all credibility. A pre-Radia NDTV was able to hurt BJP in 2009. That is unlikely to happen now.
But we must be on the guard to ensure that whenever such a story is peddled by the media, the counter attack on social media must be swift and overpowering.
Most importantly BJP must create a standard response template of its own when events such as Malda or Pune burning of a Hindu teen happen and media chooses to ignore them.
From Tuktuki in Bengal to Rathod in Pune, BJP and the Sangh has been woefully weak and lethargic in its response. It was their social media supporters who forced them into sending a delegation to take up this issue.
Most importantly the response came weeks after the event when the fires had died down. Instead BJP needs to develop an rapid response team which can attack the media on these issues so that the plight of Hindus is highlighted and puts pseudo seculars on the backfoot.
This one strategy will help even the political battleground.
It is a necessary condition to defeat Congress-AAP's evil designs - but will it be sufficient.
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